If you would like the Newsletter sent to your personal email address or if you have changed your email address, or know a colleague who would like to get the Newsletters,  please send their email address to me Charles Byrne at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  

Reminder to colleagues and those recently retired ...to be aware that the "RTÉ Alumni" meet every first Tuesday of the month from 13.00 Hrs in the Tara Tower Hotel.. Very informal gathering of colleagues having a snack and a chat....give it a try,  you will be very welcome....CB 

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Heartfelt Thanks from Colleague Marie Gallagher..

( I have received the following email from colleague Marie Gallagher who has been seriously ill. )

Charles,  via your newsletter I just want to say a heartfelt thanks to all my friends and former colleagues in RTÉ Radio and RTÉ TV for all their good wishes, prayers, visits, cards and Mass cards in my recent serious illness.   I'm not over it yet but all your prayers have helped me so much.

Thank you one and all,
Marie Gallagher

(  Marie I know we all join together in wishing you a continued speedy recovery ...Clare many thanks for your email and note from Marie please give her our best wishes .... CB )

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Tribute to the late Gerry Mc Laughlin - by colleague Eugene Murray

I had the pleasure of getting to know Gerry very well during my time in Today Tonight. He advised us number of investigative programmes involving financial fraud. Inevitably these involved long hours poring over the legal issues in a dark and windowless edit suite.

Contrary to the common perception, Gerry was mostly on the side of the programme maker, always wanting to get the programme to air. But he had to protect the financial interests of RTÉ as well and ensure that we did not carelessly leave ourselves open to claims for substantial damages.

With Gerry it was never personal - he always had a twinkle in his eye and his smiling persona let you know that behind the heated discussions he liked the programme makers. He was always on the side of the public interest and genuinely felt that fraudsters should be held to account.

But as former Director General , TV Finn, said to me at his funeral -"every team needs a good goalkeeper and Gerry saved quite a few with the tip of his fingers."

I have many memories of last minute decisions in sound dubbing, minutes to air, still arguing over the minutiae of the script. On one occasion, the senior partners of a major accountancy firm threatened that they would own the RTÉ  Admin. Block if we published allegations against one of their partners. Our main source and potential witness lived outside Ireland and so we could not guarantee that he would be available to be a witness in court. Gerry took the brave decision to let us publish the allegations. The partner against whom the allegation were made, resigned from the firm the following week.

Things did not always go the programme makers way but I found Gerry to be fair and he never coached the external barristers to take a particular stance. There were occasions when I vehemently disagreed with the advice given. But that is the nature of the business and one had to compromise on occasions.

When we were sued for libel, Gerry did not cave in easily or throw in the towel. I was regrettably involved in two cases of libel which we lost in the courts. Needless to say we all made mistakes and learnt from them. Just a little bit of nuanced changes to a script can make a big difference. Gerry was very helpful in guiding programme makers not to make avoidable errors.

Occasionally I would give him a lift home and saw the other side of Gerry - a proud Glaswegian and a loving family man. He was good company with a mischievous sense of humour and that twinkle in his eye. He gave RTÉ a great service. May he rest in peace.

( Many thanks to Eugene for the above tribute ) CB

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 Message from Dee Forbes RTÉ -  Director General 

 Dear all,

In January I told you that RTÉ had decided to sell a portion of under-utilised land on our Donnybrook site, north of the Radio Centre, in the first half of 2017. Yesterday, I confirmed that the land would be put on the market today and by now you may have seen a piece in the Irish Times Property pages, and other reports, announcing the sale of just under nine acres of land. Savills will manage the sale.

Our industry is facing unprecedented change and we need to unlock funds to help secure our future. We have been operating with vastly reduced commercial and licence fee income, now in the region of €330m, compared to €440m in 2008. We have been under-investing in our organisation for nearly a decade now, and that is unsustainable. The funds from the land sale will be used to invest in much-needed technology upgrades and in key digital infrastructure, will be used to reduce debt levels, and will be used to carry out other essential workplace improvements.

Funds raised will not be used to shore up operational deficits. That would be reckless. Nor does this represent a ‘bonanza’ or a ‘windfall’ for RTÉ. Rather, we are playing catch-up in an industry and market that is evolving rapidly.

Those of you who were at my presentation in Studio 4 earlier, or who watched on the RF, will know that, over and above these investments, I announced some significant changes to RTÉ’s organisational structure, changes that will secure RTÉ’s relevance and survival.

The IBD structure, which has served us well, is no longer fit for the demands of a modern digital media organisation. Driven by technology and the vast array of services and content now easily available, audiences’ habits are changing fast, so we must change to meet them.

Editorial decision making and content will move to the heart of the organisation’s executive structure. The IBD structure will be replaced by multi platform, cross divisional teams, in content; news and current affairs; channels, audience and marketing; operations and production services; corporate affairs; human resources; finance; and commercial. To support and drive these and other changes, I have also created a transformation role at the executive.

This new structure is essential if we are to evolve our content production, creation and distribution in a way that is not focused on divisional boundaries, but instead allows RTÉ to unlock its full potential. In the coming months, a dedicated team will work on the detail of the overall structure, identifying the necessary integrated support teams. There will be much change, physical and practical, and many opportunities as we evolve to a simpler structure of integrated, specialised teams across editorial, operations and support services. This will be a carefully managed process, one that you will be part of. Again, the accompanying documents offer further detail; for now, I can share with you a top-level structure. Otherwise, it is business as usual.

RTÉ will become a smaller, more nimble organisation over the next 18 months. We expect to introduce voluntary exit programmes this year and we will set aside some of the funds raised to cover these costs. As we prepare and develop our five year planning strategy, and as the support structures solidify, I am committed to providing you with as much information as possible along the way, so as to allow those who would like to consider their options so as to make informed decisions.

All of the changes and investment being planned will benefit the organisation and will be directly related to the necessary evolution of RTÉ to enable it to collaborate much more successfully, to compete realistically in a challenging market, and to better serve our audiences.

This is a complex process. It is a time of change, and I recognise that change can be difficult, but it’s also necessary. Today, we have taken an important step in securing much needed investment for the future, as well as announcing an organisational structure that will allow us to better create and deliver the public service media that our audiences love and expect from us.

Thank you,
Dee

                                  ( For a copy of the DG's presentation 22nd March 2017  click here. )

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RTÉ land at Dublin headquarters goes on market for €75m

Nearly 3.5 hectares (nine acres) of land at RTÉ's headquarters in Dublin 4 is to go on sale with a guide price of €75m.  It is thought the land could be used to build up to 500 housing units subject to planning permission. RTÉ Director General Dee Forbes will also this morning announce to staff some significant changes to RTÉ's organisational structure. These changes will include details of a voluntary exit programme over the next two years. Full details are still to be determined. In January, Ms Forbes announced that a portion of RTÉ's land was to be sold and the money used for infrastructure and capital projects.

The land has now been put on the market with a guide price of €75m. Property consultants Savills, who are handling the sale, described the land as being in one of the city's most prestigious and high value residential locations. It said what it termed 'Project Montrose' comprises 3.49 hectares of land - part of the existing Montrose complex which consists of approximately 13 hectares.  Savills said the purchaser would have the chance to develop a mid- to high-end housing scheme of up to 500 units, a mix of apartments and houses, subject to planning permission being secured. The area for sale also includes Mount Errol House, a protected structure dating from the 19th Century.

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Playwright Séan Walsh takes to the boards. "I auditioned to play Pilate and got the part  - in spite of

strong opposition!" - Now rehearsing, rehearsing!

   

 

 

 

This will be my Swan Song. Time to hang up my spurs...

https://goo.gl/photos/HHYWwEzBgFGnbwRKA

 

The poster is a keeper, don't you think?..

 

- www.sean-walsh.me

 

Sean wishing you well with the Production...  CB

 

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Tracks and Trails (Series 7)  

Sherwin Media Group..

Colleague Jim Sherwin

Presented By Gerry Murphy ( Meteorologist)

Season 6 recently concluded on RTÉ 1. You can still watch the series on the RTÉ player.    

http://www.rte.ie/player/ie/show/tracks-and-trails-1821/

Featuring spectacular walks and cycle tracks in stunning locations all over the country, the programmes will be presented by a different personality each week in this five episode series..

Jim Sherwin is the managing director of Sherwin Media Group (SMG) which was established in 1976. Jim has had a long and successful career as a broadcaster, sports commentator and Producer. He was RTÉ’s main commentator at 8 Olympic Games from Munich to Athens.

His rugby commentaries on Radio and TV began in 1970 and ended at the Rugby World Cup in Sydney Australia in 2003. He commentated for over 20 years on racquet sports for RTÉ TV including Wimbledon and Roland Garros and was RTÉ’s main commentator on all major non sporting outside broadcasts including installation of Presidents, live transmissions of visiting celebrities and state funerals.

Jim has produced many films and documentaries on a wide range of subjects including health, sport and other social areas.

Episode 1 - Valentia Island

Gerry Murphy is a meteorologist and presents the weather forecast on television. A five and a half hour drive from Dublin and an hour and half from Tralee, is the starting point for Gerry's walk. Caherciveen is a small but bustling town that sits in one of Kerry's most scenic areas. Gerry knows this area well and lived here for six years. He is doing two walks over two days. The first starts off at Renard point just 3 kms outside Caherciveen. From here he goes by ferry to Knightstown on Valentia Island. Once on the Island Gerry will walk along the roads of Valentia ending his walk atop Bray Head. His walk is 15 kms in total.

Knightstown is on the southeast of the island and Gerry's first stop is the heritage centre where he meets Pam Twentyman who points Gerry in the right direction and gives him advice on what to see and where to visit. The lighthouse on Valentia is synonymous with the island and was one of the last lighthouses to have a lighthouse keeper living there. Gerry talks to Paul O'Connell who gives guided tours of the lighthouse and knows its full history. He also meets Míchéal Lyne who is a local historian and has many stories associated with this part of the island particularly the landing of the first transatlantic cable.

Valentia is a picturesque island and Gerry's walk takes him to the historic Bray Head. During the second world locals arranged stones in the ground to spell out the word 'Éire' so that American or German bombers wouldn't mistake Ireland as enemy territory.

Gerry's second walk is in Caherdaniel in Derrynane which is a 45 minute drive from Caherciveen. Derrynane is the ancestral home of Daniel O'Connell, one of Ireland's most historic figures. The walk takes Gerry to Derrynane house, through the magnificent tropical gardens, along the beach nature trail and around the mass loop to finish at Abbey Island. The house is full of O'Connell's artefacts and personal and family belongings. Chris O'Neill of the Office of Public Works guides Gerry through the exquisite gardens and Vincent Hyland shows Gerry some of the local fascinating seaside wildlife.

Episode 2 - Mayo

Cork native TV presenter Sinead Kennedy is in County Mayo on the western slopes of the Ox Mountains which are the location of some of Ireland's finest walks. The Larganmore Loop, not far from Foxford, takes Sinead through some unique habitats and scenery.

Sinead's first trail is a cycle on the Greenway from Castlebar to the National Museum at Turlough starting at Lough Lannagh. Lough Lannagh is a wonderful amenity for Castlebar with lovely views of Mayo's most famous landmark, Croagh Patrick. The Greenway has plenty to offer cyclists and walkers along the route through treelinned countryside habitats and it takes Sinead into Turlough Park. The Parkland of 37 acres of lake and woodland walks date back to the 19th century and was laid out by the Fitzgerald family at Turlough House. A branch of the family lived in the Victorian Gothic house until 1991 when it became part of the National museum of Country Life.

Sinead travels to Foxford for her next trail. Larganmore Mountain is about 8 Kms from Foxford. Foxford is famous for its woollen mills which is one of the last hand-craft weaving mills in the West of Ireland. The journey to the Larganmore Trail head goes through lovely scenery around Ardmachugh and Glenduff Lake. The first part of the Larganmore loop takes Sinead down the mountain road. Sinead's guide, local farmer Jean Beattie who helped Mayo County Council design the loop walk, guides Sinead through a variety of country roads and laneways that circle the mountain to the base of Larganmore where they climb the mountain before returning to where they started. The landscape is a mixture of fertile fields side by side with wild areas of uplands covered in blanket bog and heather, revealing stunning views of the Ox Mountains in Mayo.

Sinead takes a detour to visit Tom Hennigan's Heritage Museum in Killasser. Tom tells her stories about growing up in the cottage and shows her his collection of old shoes which are on display in the museum.
Back on the Larganmore Loop Sinead finds out more about some famous Mayo folk and historical heroes from locals Noel Gillard and writer Stephen Dunford as she walks with them through the boreens. To her delight she finally sees some wild Irish goats.

The final part of the walk is the most challenging for Sinead which is the off road ascent to the other side of Larganmore to the mountain road where she started her loop walk but as the rain fades off in the Ox Mountains, the winds fall easy, the clouds part and streams of light appear over the heather clad uplands. The breath-taking views make it all worthwhile.

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RTÉ Hosts Innovation Day for Young 'Digital Champions'

By Barry O'Rourke...

RTÉ  Journalist

 

With a focus on innovating for the future, RTÉ today hosted a group of young ‘Digital Champions’ in RTÉ to experience new technologies, create digital content and explore future digital possibilities, including new journalism formats and platforms for RTÉ to reach teenage audiences.

The group of forty second-level students representing schools from across the country visited RTÉ as part of the School Digital Champion Programme.

The Programme is being implemented by the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, in collaboration with the Department of Education and Skills. 

The Programme, supported by RTÉ, enables students to develop their creativity, critical-thinking and communications skills. 

It facilitates project-based learning and encourages students to “think digital, use digital” to make a difference to their school, local business and wider community through the productive use of digital technology and data sources.

The innovation day at RTÉ focused on three strands;

● Digital Creators of Tomorrow - equipping the ‘School Digital Champions’ to be the digital creators of the future by providing them with mobile journalism training

● Experiencing New Technologies – Samsung’s virtual reality team delivered a demonstration of Samsung’s virtual reality technology and content, along with RTÉ 360 content

● Innovating for the Future – the ‘School Digital Champions’ participated in a News Innovation workshop with RTÉ journalists, exploring new journalism formats and platforms for RTÉ to reach a teenage audience

“Collaborating with audiences to co-create our future is a key part of our innovation strategy," says Múirne Laffan, RTÉ’s Chief Digital Officer.

"Empowering the ‘School Digital Champions’ to give their unique perspective and share their digital expectations was a privilege and hugely insightful.”

“As part of our broad programme of support for the digital community in Ireland, we are delighted to support the School Digital Champion Programme, which shares our same agenda; to advance the digital education of young people in Ireland" she added.

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The Spring Series, Recollections of Ireland,

continues at the National Concert Hall, Kevin Barry Room

Discover lost and forgotten Irish music composed before 1917 with Una Hunt and friends

Wednesdays at 7.30pm

Our national bard, Thomas Moore and his Irish Melodies take centre stage in this programme of music from the National Library of Ireland. Featuring composers from eighteenth and early nineteenth-century Ireland, the recital includes a set of canzonets by Thomas Augustine Geary and vocal music from Thomas Cooke, Samuel Lover and Mozart’s friend, Michael Kelly. Featured music for piano includes Ireland’s most famous composer, John Field, and Francis Panormo, a member of a family of instrument makers who lived in Ireland for an extended period – A programme of rarely-performed music not to be missed. 

Wednesday, 29th March 2017

THE SHOWER OF PEARLS

Fionnuala Hunt, violin

Úna Hunt, piano

Featuring violin and piano music by leading Irish composers and instrumentalists of the mid-to-late nineteenth century. These include Limerick’s own pianist-composer, George Alexander Osborne who left Ireland as a young man and gained fame as one of the favoured performers in the famous Parisian salons of the 1830s and 40s. The Italian pianist, Michele Esposito, made his home in Ireland with his appointment as professor of piano at the Royal Irish Academy of Music where he left behind an important piano legacy. Another professor of the Academy whose music is completely unknown was the gifted but ill-fated Fanny Robinson. Completing the programme is violin and piano music by Charles Villiers Stanford.

 

Wednesday, 5th April 2017

THE FRENCH CONNECTION

Gillian Williams, violin

Arun Rao, cello

Úna Hunt, piano

In the 19th century, France – and especially Paris – was a place of desire for so many composers across Europe, not least for the Irish. Many sought tuition and performance opportunities, and quite a few spent extended periods of their career there. This programme explores little-known Franco-Irish musical connections through the extraordinary O’Kelly family: Henri, Joseph and George along with music for violin and cello by another composer worthy of attention, Swan Hennessy. Then, there’s the unique Augusta Holmès who was France’s first really significant female composer; her father came from Youghal in Co Cork. Rounding off the programme are piano trios from Irish musicians who lived in Paris for extended periods. The pianist-composer from Limerick, George Alexander Osborne, performed with Chopin at his famous debut recital in the Salle Pleyel and became one of the most favoured salon performers. Michael William Balfe was one of Ireland’s most noted opera composers; while his Bohemian Girl remains popular, his instrumental music is almost unknown. The final concert of the series - The French Connection - provides a rare opportunity to hear these little-known works while exploring the intersections between the music of Ireland and France.

( Many thanks to colleague Una Hunt for the above information. )  CB

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The following serious lesson with thanks to colleague Janet Wynne...

THE CONFESSION
Hi Bob,
This is Alan next door. I have a confession to make. I've been riddled with guilt these past few months and have been trying to pluck up the courage to tell you to your face, but I am at least now telling you in text as I can't live with myself a moment longer without you knowing.

The truth is I have been sharing your wife, day and night when you're not around. In fact, probably more than you. I haven't been getting it at home recently, but that's no excuse, I know. The temptation was just too much. I can no longer live with the guilt and I hope you will accept my sincerest apologies and forgive me. It won't happen again.
Please suggest a fee for usage, and I'll pay you.
Regards,
Alan.

THE ACTIONS
Bob, feeling insulted and betrayed, grabbed his gun, and shot his neighbor dead. He returned home where he poured himself a stiff drink and sat down on the sofa. He took out his phone where he saw he had received a subsequent message from his (now deceased) neighbor:

THE SECOND MESSAGE
Hi Bob,
This is Alan next door again. Sorry about the typo on my last text. I expect you figured it out anyway, & that you noticed that darned Autocorrect changed 'wi-fi' To 'wife'. Technology hey?
Regards,
Alan.

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That's all for now ...have a good week... CB